Means for guarding against the reuse of bottles.



PATENTED MAY 23, 1905.

. l I W., B. BOSTWICK.

MEANS R GUARDING AGAINST THE REUSB 0P BOTTLES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. BL. 1906 no. 790,281. g

- UNITED STATES Patented May 23, 1905.

WILLIAM B. BOSTWIOK, OF LASALLE, ILLINOIS.

MEANS FOR G UARDING AGAINST THE REUSE OF BOTTLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 790,281, dated May 23, 1905. Application filed January 21, 1905. Serial No. 242,170.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM B. BOSTWIGK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lasalle, in the county of Lasalle and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and use- -ful Improvements in Means for Guarding pons or like indicating means attached to the exterior of the bottle and running in a line from near the top to the bottom, said coupons being comparatively narrow and adapted to be readily detached to correspond approximately with the change of level of the contents of the bottle as the liquid is poured off.

For a full description of the invention and the merits thereof and also to acquire a knowledge of the details of construction of the means for effecting the result reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings.

While the invention may be adapted to dif ferent forms and conditions by changes .in the structure and minor details without departing from the spirit or essential features thereof, still the preferred embodiment thereof is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side view of a bottle embody-,

ing the invention. Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, showing a number of the coupons removed corresponding with the amount of liquid poured off. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of a coupon-stripor analogous indicating means.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

In the preferable construction a strip of sheet material, such as paper, is subdivided by break-lines 1 to provide a series of coupons 2, which may be of any determinate width, usually aboutone-half inch. Each of the coupons has printed thereon or is otherwise provided with suitable matter directing attention to the manner of using the invention, so as to apprise the observing customer of any attempt on the part of the dealer to pass off a spurious article. The preferable matter appearing on each of the coupons reads as follows: Accept no bottle of this whiskey Without these coupons. See that the level of the contents of this bottle is not over one inch from the level of these coupons, either over or under.

The strip of coupons is indicated at A, and one end of the coupons is reduced, as shown at 3, to provide a tab toadmit of the coupons being easily and conveniently gripped when they are'to be torn off. The coupons range from near the top of the bottle to the bottom and may be afiixed to the bottle in any manner to hold them in place, and yet admit of their ready removal when required as the liquid is poured off. It is the intention to secure the coupons to the bottle by a suitable adhesivesuch as gum, paste, or gluea portion of the coupons being loose to enable the same to be gripped when it is required to remove the coupons. It is contemplated to attach the coupons at one end to the bottle and leave the opposite end portion free. In practice an edge portion of the strip of coupons has an adhesive applied thereto and is afiixed to the bottle by pressing the strip thereon in the well-known manner.

When the bottle is filled, the topmost coupon corresponds approximately to the level of the liquid. vWhen a portion of the contents is poured off, one or more coupons is torn off corresponding to the change of level of the liquid to indicate the same approximately. Usage will establish the custom requiring the coupons to be removed as the level of the liquid in the bottle lowers, and these coupons may be torn off either by the dealer or the customer. Should the level of the liquid in the bottle exceed that indicated by the coupons to any material degree, the customer may rightfully look with suspicion upon the genuineness of the article contained in the hottle. Obviously, aslight variation either above or under the level indicated by the coupons may be overlooked.

While paper is the preferred material employed as the indicating means, it is to be understood that within the purview of the invention it is contemplated to utilize indicating means which will admit of comparatively small portions being detached to correspond with the small quantity poured oif from the bottle at difierent times, thereby reasonably assuring the customer of obtaining the desired brand of goods designated by the label. The means shown is preferred because of the extreme simplicity and practicability thereof.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is 1. In combination with a bottle, indicating In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in 3 presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM B. BOSlWICK. [n 5.]

VVi tn esses:

I. J. BRADY, H. N. HACKMAN. 

